Pixel Qi's three-in-one display due next month

Ever since it spun off from the OLPC project last year, Pixel Qi has been pushing the idea that the future of inexpensive portables and longer-lasting batteries depends much on screen innovations. Weve heard of $75 laptops and 40-hour battery life estimates, but aside from the fancy dual-mode display technology found in the XO-1, weve yet to see their promises fulfilled on more widely and commercially available devices.

That may soon change, however, as their much anticipated 10-inch 3Qi display will reportedly hit the scene next month. The revolutionary screen can not only switch between an efficient black-and-white mode and a high resolution color screen, like on the XO, but also to an e-paper mode suitable for reading. They'll just be shipping samples initially and should have the screen producing in volume sometime this summer  no potential clients were mentioned though the OLPC seems like an obvious one.

The company is working on future screens that act like a chip on the motherboard, to further improve battery life, and claims their screen should eventually get touch screen capabilities as well. For the time being, however, their focus is on getting technology into developing markets, where things like using a minimum of power and readability in broad daylight are initially more important.